Thanksgiving Turkey and Wild Rice Soup

So Friday night a group of friends and I gathered for a Thanksgiving dinner to start off a long weekend of Thanksgiving dinners with our families.  Good friends + good food = a very good time. At the end of the night upon hearing that the turkey carcass was going to be thrown out and not made into a soup,  I rescued it, knowing it would be of better use  in a nice hearty soup than it would have in the waste bin. The Turkey was already delicious and well seasoned, which was a bonus for the soup.

• 4 liters of water
• 1 turkey carcass 
• 2 cloves of garlic, crushed and unpeeled
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp wild rice
• 2-3 carrots chopped
• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 small red onion, diced
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• chopped parsley to taste
• salt and pepper to taste

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To start off, place the turkey remains in a large pot with the water (you might have to break the carcass into 2 pieces to fit in the pot, I did). Add the garlic cloves and bay leaves to the pot, Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 20 minutes.

Remove the turkey bones from the pot and allow to cool enough to handle. Remove all the meat from the bones and shred or tear into small pieces. Discard the bones.

Using a slotted spoon, skim the garlic and bay leaves and any small bones that may have dislodged from the carcass, alternatively you can pass the soup through a sieve.

Rinse the wild rice in cold water and place in the pot along with the shredded turkey and the remaining ingredients. Simmer for 30-45 minutes, until the rice has softened but still has a bit of a bite to it.

Cream of Parsnip Soup

It has been a while since I had been wanting to make this creamy parsnip soup.

Parsnips are not a vegetable that I regularly make at home but every once in a while I will get a sort of craving for them. I absolutely love the smell of peeled parsnips, it is reminiscent of root beer in my opinion and very sweet smelling. This soup gets its creaminess from not only the pureed root vegetable but also thick cream. For added colour you can add a small carrot to the soup.

• 3 Shallots, peeled and sliced
• 1 leek,sliced (the bottom white part of the onion only)
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 lbs parsnips, peeled and diced
• 1 celery stalk, sliced
• 3 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 1/2 l chicken or vegetable stock
• 1 small can of thick cream
• salt and pepper
• chopped parsley for presentation (optional)

In a large pot, melt the butter over a medium-low heat, add the shallots and leeks to the pot and cook for about 5-7 minutes until softened but not browned.

Add the parsnips, garlic and garlic cloves to the pot and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring.

Add the chicken stock to the pot, increase the heat and bring the soup to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer partially covered for 20-25 minutes until the parsnips are tender.

Add the thick cream to the soup and puree  using a hand held blender or in a food processor, until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Sopa da Titia

 

 So a few weeks ago I made this simple red pepper and potato based vegetable soup, I had my Mom send some over to my sisters house and My Niece  the cutie loved the soup. She is probably the soups biggest adorer. The original I made took Israeli couscous, unfortunately I have none in my pantry at the moment and used alphabet pasta instead. In addition to this soup being yummy, it is also a healthy soup, loaded with veggies…

Ingredients serves 4-6

1 red pepper, diced
4 stalks of celery, sliced
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced + 1 medium potato peeled and diced, saved for later
2 garlic cloves, sliced
2.5 L chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups broccoli florets,
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1/3 cup +2 tbsp small pasta
1/3 cup milk
1 heaping tbsp all purpose flour

Place the pepper, celery, 2 medium potatoes, garlic, and stock in a large pot and bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Remove the pot from the heat.

Puree the soup in a blender or in the pot using a hand held blender until smooth. Add the remaining diced potato, broccoli, grated carrot, and pasta to the soup and continue to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally  until the vegetables and pasta are tender.

At the last minute, combine the milk and flour in a small bowl, pour into the soup and simmer the soup for 2 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper and a sprinkle of dry basil.

Vegetable Chili Soup

This Chili Soup was a real last minute dinner fix, a quick look in the pantry revealed a half used packet of chili seasoning and among other delicious pantry type goods, black beluga lentils. By chance I also had marble cheese and sour cream in the fridge and this delicious and very satisfying soup was born… I must admit, the best dishes are the last minute , what the hell am I going to make for dinner, ones…..

 Makes 4 – 6 servings
1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 medium onion, peeled and diced
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1 red pepper, diced
1.5 L beef stock
1.5 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp chili seasoning
1 medium tomato, diced
1/4 cup italian style rice
1/8 cup black beluga lentils, rinsed
small handful of curly leaf parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
sour cream and grated cheese to serve

Sweat the carrots, onion, garlic and pepper in a large pot with the olive oil for 5 minutes until the onion is softened and transluscent. Add the beef stock to the veggies along with the 1.5 tbsp of chili seasoning, and diced tomatoes, cover the pot and allow the soup to simmer for about 15-20 minutes until the veggies are softened.  Remove the pot from the heat and use a hand held blender to puree the soup, leaving the liquid just slightly chunky. Add the rice and beluga lentils along with the remaining chili seasoning and chopped parsley. Simmer uncovered, until the lentils are cooked, about 15-20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with sour cream and grated cheese.